Parity-Dependence in the Nuclear Level Density

Abstract

Astrophysical reaction rates are sensitive to the parity distribution at low excitation energies. We combine a formula for the energy-dependent parity distribution with a microscopic-macroscopic nuclear level density. This approach describes well the transition from low excitation energies, where a single parity dominates, to high excitations where the two densities are equal.

Comments: 4 pages, 3 figures; contribution to Nuclei In The Cosmos VIII, to appear in Nucl. Phys. A